New GRDB 18 rice variety launched

GRDB 18 – a new long grain high yielding variety of rice – was released for commercial cultivation in the country on Monday by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha at Sebastian’s Farm, Nooten Zuil, East Coast Demerara.

The new variety stands out for its plant architecture, strong stems, high yield potential (that is, 7-9 tonnes per hectare) and resistance to blast. It is long, slender grain with good milling and cooking qualities, with research showing only 11 to 13 minutes required for cooking.

It has the ability to withstand delayed harvesting for 10-15 days, which means less losses for farmers when they do not get to reap the crop on time. Since the genetic composition of this Candidate Variety is different from all the other varieties, it would also minimise the risk of genetic vulnerability to diseases.

Chief Scientist Mahendra Persaud, the expert behind the initiative who conducted the research and development of the new variety, believes that the rice can stand up to the conditions that typically pose challenges to farmers. According to him, the team conducted more than 120 yield and farm trials.

“If you want something good, you have to develop it for yourself, you have to develop it for your farmers and we have done that….the entire team has put their hands on this variety. We have tried to mix different genetic backgrounds, local and foreign, and come up with something that will be useful to our farmers,” Persaud shared.

Minister Mustapha shared that within four years, about two more new varieties would be commissioned. He pointed out how prior to 2020, 36 bags per acre were being produced, as compared to the 40-42 bags today.

The minister said the government is committed to expanding the country’s markets to approximately 50 new ones globally. “We are not just coming to tell you as rice farmers that in 2030 we want to produce a million metric tons of rice and leave you at that. We will never leave you on your own. We will always work with you to develop this important industry.”

Food and Agriculture (FAO) Representative in Guyana Gillian Smith, told the News Room that the new variety has advantages from “farm to fork.” Farmers, for example, can reap later than they should and still get a good amount of yield. “This is a rice that actually is a high quality and it cooks faster than previous varieties. So that’s really exciting. It means that everybody along the food chain gets some advantage from this.”

Students of the Guyana School of Agriculture were on hand to witness to the launch, and Year Two diploma student Jemima Wilson shared that the variety is more resistant in terms of fighting climate change and other challenges farmers face. “Guyana is on the verge of achieving food security by 2030; we aim to be the bread basket for the Caribbean and in other parts, so this variety can help us.”

It is expected that this variety along with the GRDB 16 will occupy the majority of the farmlands across the country in the next few seasons.